The Mash-Up Americans

Latest Episodes:

Gochujang at the Comfort Inn: The Korean Food Takeover with Matthew Kang Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

Writer and food expert Matthew Kang (Eater) joins the Big Korean Energy realm to unpack the current Korean food moment, from fine dining in Dallas to gochujang bottles at Ohio motels.

We talk about Korea’s soft power, the delicious Mash-Ups shaping Korean American cuisine, and how one dish, Pyongyang naengmyeon, connects Matthew to his family’s roots and the longing behind every bowl.

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Joanne Lee Molinaro on the Power of Korean Food, Culture, and Self-Love Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

The Korean Vegan’s Joanne Lee Molinaro joins us to talk about the cultural power and the politics of Korean joy. How can scarcity become abundance? Look to Korea! From budae jjigae to K-Beauty, Joanne traces her path from attorney to author, and why she believes Big Korean Energy isn’t just a trend, it’s a declaration power: If you love our food, love our people.

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Why Are Korean Sports Fans Are So Intense?? With Tommy Craggs Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

What makes something feel Korean? Journalist Tommy Craggs joins us to unpack Big Korean Energy, from the ’88 Seoul Olympics to Son Heung-min, Cubs fandom to K-pop Demon Hunters. We dig into how sports and culture shaped his Korean consciousness, how today’s global K-wave ties back to the trauma of war and occupation, and what it means to raise a Korean kid without turning into a samchon.

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Time Travel and The Korean Literati with R.O. Kwon Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Bestselling novelist R. O. Kwon joins us to explore Big Korean Energy in literature and how she writes her desire (and freedom) onto the page. She shares what it was like growing up in a mostly Korean town in L.A., why Squid Game still feels astonishing, and the relationship between Koreanness, Christianity, and sexuality. Also: An extremely high stakes game of F*ck, Marry, K*ll.

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Everything Is Korean with Phil Yu Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

From bootleg VHS tapes to a Tony-winning Broadway musical and Netflix megahits, Koreans have gone from “who?” to “whoa!” In this episode of our Big Korean Energy season, we sit down with Phil Yu, creator of Angry Asian Man, and talk about the seismic shift of K-culture going global, what it feels like to win Olympic gold alongside Queen Yuna, and owning our stories is SO important. What’s at stake when the whole world suddenly has Big Korean Energy??

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Coming Soon - Big Korean Energy Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

We’re living in Big Korean Energy. From Kdramas to ramen hacks, skincare routines to fandom rituals, Korean influence is everywhere, shaping how we connect, celebrate, and imagine the world. This season, we unpack what makes something feel Korean (whether or not it actually is), why that feeling resonates globally, and what it all means for Mash-Up America. Featuring Phil Yu, R.O. Kwon, Joanne Lee Molinaro, and more.

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Telling Stories with Anna Holmes Nov 01, 2024

Show notes

If we're lucky, we're constantly growing, learning and telling new stories about ourselves. Writer Anna Holmes is here talking about starting new things in your 40s and 50s and finding community. What do we say no to? What can we demand now that we are grown? How much magnesium should we take to sleep?

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Dreaming Big with Cristina Jiménez Oct 25, 2024

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How do we learn from the youth? MacArthur Genius and co-founder of United We Dream Cristina Jiménez join us to talk organizing and creating youth-led movements.And about repair through the eyes of young immigrant kids. She talks about the moment her young son got his first passport and the generational transformation that brings for her as a formerly undocumented person. Anyways, the youth are inspiring us all with their willingness to challenge ideas.

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Taking The Win with George Goehl Oct 18, 2024

Show notes

Winning gives the push to do more - a light and hope and a sense of power. You have to acknowledge the little and big wins, to give you energy for the bigger and longer fights. We’re joined by longtime activist and community George Goehl. He’s also in a 5 year strong group chat with Amy and Rebecca. With a career spanning over three decades, George has tackled everything from federal financial reform to local battles for better trash cans. He has a proven track record of turning community struggles into victories and we need the formula for that winning energy.

You can hear more of George’s work on To See Each Other, a podcast produced by The Mash-Up Americans. Listen here -> https://link.chtbl.com/toseeeachother

You can find his book, Fundamentals of Community Organizing, through his Substack here -> https://georgegoehl.substack.com/

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Repairing the World with Rabbi Susan Goldberg Oct 14, 2024

Show notes

Today to launch our season on tikkun olam, we sit down with Rabbi Susan Goldberg, the founder of Nefesh in Los Angeles and Rebecca’s very own rabbi-on-speed-dial. We laugh with our bellies and dive into the difference between healing and repair, how to make peace with our ancestors, and the utmost importance of making space for repair in yourself, in your family, and in your community. Amy also gets rewarded her very own badge of K'rov Israel.

Check out NefeshLA.org for more on Rabbi Goldberg.

And visit mashupamericans.com/newsletter to keep up with The Mash-Up Americans

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